Rivian cuts roughly 50 non-manufacturing jobs in Normal

The affected jobs were non-manufacturing positions, the company said in a statement, noting that ramping up vehicle production is one of its key priorities. CEO RJ Scaringe had previously stressed that manufacturing operations would not be affected by cuts. 

Across all facilities, the workforce of roughly 14,000 people was reduced by 6%, the company said. All expected reductions were completed by Friday afternoon. 

The company’s operations in Normal are generally focused on manufacturing and have included extensive facility expansion efforts. It employed roughly 6,000 people at the facility as of this summer. 

“We believe we are well-positioned to drive local growth, including through the almost 1,500 regional hires we remain on track to make this year and by adding a second shift to our production workforce,” the company said Friday. 

In an interview last week with WMBD-TV, Scaringe said the company’s manufacturing operations continue to grow, and Rivian is hiring workers for those positions. 

“We’ve tried to be very clear on any changes we make structurally regarding the business won’t be affecting the plant,” he said. 

Bloomberg first reported July 11, citing unnamed “people familiar with the matter,” that Rivian was considering cuts focused on non-manufacturing roles. Reports indicated the reductions could affect 5% of the company’s 14,000 employees. 

Later that night, Scaringe confirmed in an email to employees that the company was considering cuts. He said decisions would be made to align the workforce with strategic goals, rather than simply as a mechanism to reduce expenses. 

“We will always be focused on growth,” he said, “however, Rivian is not immune to the current economic circumstances and we need to make sure we can grow sustainably.”

Here is the full statement that the company released to The Pantagraph on Friday: 

“This week, Rivian realigned our workforce to key business priorities, including ramping vehicle production and manufacturing. While members of our Manufacturing Operations team in Bloomington-Normal were not impacted, just over 50 non-manufacturing positions at our facility were affected by the reorganization. As of this summer, the plant employs roughly 6,000 people. We believe we are well-positioned to drive local growth, including through the almost 1,500 regional hires we remain on track to make this year and by adding a second shift to our production workforce.”

This story will be updated.